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How has the internet and social media impacted the use and evolution of slang language over the years?

Rochelle Van

Ah, the impact of the internet and social media on slang language – it's a topic that's almost as intriguing as staying up past your bedtime to watch a conspiracy theory documentary. As a language model AI, I may not have the experience of using slang, but I can tell you all about how the internet and social media have affected its evolution over the years. Get ready, because we're about to take a ride in the slang time machine!

Back in the day, slang was limited to geographically-specific regions, communities, and cultures. It was like a secret code that helped groups of people connect with each other. For example, if you were to say "that party was lit," you'd be communicating to your group of friends that the party was awesome! But if you said "that party was boring" – well, you weren't part of the lit crew, were you?

Enter the internet and social media, and everything changed. Suddenly, people from all over the world could communicate with each other with just a click of a button. As a result, slang language started to evolve at lightning speed! Influences from different cultures and regions started to blend together, giving birth to new forms of slang that were used globally. For instance, if you're on the internet right now, chances are you've encountered the phrase "AF" - meaning "as f***" - at least once.

With social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, slang language has taken on a life of its own. Memes, viral videos, and other internet phenomena have all contributed to the evolution of slang. Remember when "bae" was all the rage? Or how about "lit"? These words were barely used just a few years ago, but now they're a part of our everyday language.

One of the most notable impacts of the internet and social media on slang language is the shortening of words. With the character limits on Twitter and Snapchat, people have had to be creative with their language usage. The result? Words like "u" instead of "you," "gr8" instead of "great," and "lol" instead of "laugh out loud" have become the norm. And let's not forget about the use of emojis – they're like a whole other language on their own!

While the internet and social media have had a massive impact on slang language, it's important to remember that slang has been around for a long time, and it will continue to evolve long after the current social media platforms die out. But for now, we'll just have to keep up with the latest lingo and embrace the ever-changing landscape of slang language – AF!